1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drink making and, more specifically, to an improved method and apparatus for making drinks with ice-slush and additional flavoring constituents through a specific sequence of dispensing and mixing of the constituents of the drink.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of apparatus and methods have been utilized in the past for dispensing mixing the various constituents of frozen drinks formed from an ice-slush base.
A common technique for making frozen drink such as a frozen daiquiri would be to put into a blender an appropriate amount of liquor for flavoring and potency in combination with the fruit flavoring for the daiquiri, whether lime, strawberry, banana, or the like. Also added to thse constituents would be the base material of crushed ice formed of frozen water. The blending together of these constituent materials would create the daiquiri. Unfortunately, however, problems can occur resulting in inconsistency of taste of one drink mixture with respect to the next. Such inconsistency may result as a function of the amount of time the drink is blended. This is because the blending draws oxygen into the mixture, and excess oxygen can detract from the intended flavoring of the drink. Additionally, excess blending can induce heat energy into the drink, melt the ice cubes, and thus water down the drink reducing its preferred flavoring and minimizing the alcohol content per unit volume. The problem of minimized alcohol per unit volume can also occur to a properly mixed drink when it is allowed to sit at room temperature. The ambient environment will permit the ice cubes to melt which adds water to the drink and thus reduces both the flavor and alcoholic potency of the drink. On the other hand, a drink mixed insufficiently will render such drink of different flavor, consistency, and alcoholic potency from the top of the container to the bottom, from the first sip to the drink to the last.
A wide variety of systems, machines, devices, and apparatus have been developed and utilized in the past in an effort to render drink mixing a precise art. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,587 to Walter, for example, a drink mixing device is disclosed which concurrently crushes ice cubes formed from water, dispenses the crushed ice into a container, and mixes the crushed ice with other drink constituents in the container. In using such a device, the ice crusher and the impeller of the drink mixer are initiated concurrently and terminated concurrently. As a result, the mixing is terminated while the final portion of crushed ice is being dispensed into the container whereby incomplete mixing must always result. Further, the Walter device requires the adding of performed ice cubes to the machine before using the machine. This is less convenient than the utilization of an ice-slush machine for the basic constituent of the drink. Most significantly, however, the Walter device utilizes ice cubes formed from water. As a result, the crushed ice in the drink will melt through time to thus decrease the flavor and alcoholic potency of the drink over the period of consumption as compared to the time the drink was first made.
Another type of drink machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,563 to Patten. According to the Patten disclosure, a frozen milkshake fluid is dispensed into a container through a valve while a rotatable impeller or dasher mixes the dispensed fluid. The container is utilized by the operator as an implement to dispense the fluid through a predetermined vertical lifting motion. This motion can be effected independent of the rotation of the impeller. Similarly, the rotation of the impeller may be initiated and terminated by the horizontal motion of a container into and out of contact with a switch arm independent of the above described dispensing. Because of the requirement for two control mechanisms, each independently controlled by an operator, the over-mixing or under-mixing of the dispensed material may readily occur and the consistency of drinks thus remains a problem.
Another drink mixing machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,877 to Bruntjen. According to that disclosure, a creamy milkshake-like base fluid is retained in a chilled upper reservoir and gravity dropped through a valve into a chilled mixing chamber. The mixed beverage is then dropped by the force of gravity into a further container which is removable with respect to the machine. Chilling chambers are thus utilized in two different segments of the machine. Further, the handle which opens the valve to dispense the base material also functions to simultaneously initiate and terminate the mixing. As a result, dispensing and mixing are always done concurrently causing less than optimumly mixed drinks as discussed in the paragraph above.
U.S. Pat No. 4,275,567 to Schwitters describes an ice-slush dispensing machine with a heat exchanger assembly. The heat exchanger assembly is activated and inactivated through sensors which determine the viscosity of the ice-slush to be dispensed. The refrigeration mechanism may also be activated when the dispensing valve is open. Such a system increases the efficiency of an ice-sluch dispenser. The ice-slush, however, is not adequately maintained at the optimum temperature and consistency. This is due to the fact the supplemental chilling is initiated only when the dispensing valve is opened, an event which is random in its occurrence.
A beverage blending machine of the coin-operated, soft drink variety is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,911 to Stutz. That disclosure describes a machine that includes an auger for dispensing dry powder material which is mixed with water by a nozzle and then jointly dispensed into a blender. The blended fluid is then gravity dispensed through the bottom of the blending container to a supplemental container. The entire system as described in Stutz is controlled by a single timer. Such a machine is not designed for use in making ice-slush drinks.
Three additional patents are also of interest. These are U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,353 to Rogenski; U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,612 to Valbona; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,875 to Marfuggi. All three of these patents disclose drink mixing machines independent of dispensing apparatus. According to the Rogenski disclosure, as well as the Valbona disclosure, a container with the constituents to be mixed is moved to a location whereby a rotatable auger or impeller is immersed in the contents of the container. The container is then moved into contact with a switch to rotate the impeller and thus mix the drink. Movement of the container away from the switch stops the rotation of the auger. This puts the degree of mixing totally within the discretion of the operator. The Marfuggi blender is similar to that disclosed in Rogenski and Valbona except that the control of the impeller and the timing of the mixing is effected by a switch on the side of the machine which is manually controlled by an operator.
A typical ice-slush dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,436 to Wilch and in Wilch literature. These discloses, as understood, describe ice-slush machines including a heat exchanger for converting a sugar-based fluid into ice-slush. They also include one or two screw pumps for whipping the ice-slush and for conveying it to an operator controlled nozzle. It is the intention of the Wilch disclosures that the dispensed ice-slush be combined in a container of a blender with additional flavoring components such as liquor and daiquiri mix and that such combination of ingredients be mixed or blended off line in the blender. The blending, however, would be for a time as determined by an operator independent of the dispensing.
Lastly, additional apparatus is disclosed in literature to Taylor and Island Oasis. According to the Taylor disclosure, as understood, a machine is described similar to the Wilch ice-slush machine. The Taylor machine, however, is designed for dispensing an ice cream type mixture for subsequent mixing. As understood, the Island Oasis device employs a Taylor type machine in combination with a blender whereby the blender will receive the dispensed material from the Taylor machine. The blender will be activated and inactivated upon the initiation and termination of the dispensing of the ice cream type material. As a result, the final portion of dispensed material will not be blended since the impeller will cease upon the termination of the dispensing. A second switch is required if it is desired to operate the blender independent of the dispenser.
As illustrated by the great number of prior patents and other disclosures, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to make drinks conveniently and consistently. None of these disclosures suggests the present inventive combination of elements for dispensing ice-slush and additional flavoring ingredients as herein described and claimed. These prior disclosures do not provide for the superior, consistent and convenient drinks time after time as occurs with the method and apparatus of the present invention. The present invention achieves it purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art through new, useful and unobvious apparatus and method steps which consistently and conveniently insure high quality drinks through the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reduction in cost, and through the utilization of only readily available materials and conventional components.
These objects and advantages should be construed as merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the present invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and advantages as well as a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and detailed description describing the preferred embodiment of the invention in addition to the scope of the invention as defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.